Woohoo! 34.5 Miles and NO FLATS! / Bicycle Review

[Edudbor]

Wednesday, for the first time ever, I was able to ride my bicycle from my apartment to the office where I work....without a flat tire. I also rode it home, without a flat tire. I didn't want to jinx anything, so I waited until my ride in this morning (again - no flats!) to post...but sure enough - I made the trip with no problems!

So, in all seriousness, I can't feel any difference between my $850 dollar Fuji Roubaux (sp?) and my $399 dollar IBex Classic. If anything, the seat on the Ibex is more comfortable (but still a pain in the butt, literally), and the tires haven't gone flat yet. I'm very glad I ended up with the extra $450 in my savings account.

No real point to this post; I'm just really happy that I've been able to ride without any problems.

 

[threaded]

Suggest you try Dutch Perfect tires if your commute causes so many flats. One area I ride through, Glostrup, is a bit of a ghetto. Cycle-path often strewn with broken glass. Lastest joy is they've gouged the top layer of tarmac off the path with one of them machines that leaves tram-lines designed to off a cyclist and guide you into the pools of glass shards. Such is life.

Yet, those tires are the only ones where I wear them out before they're shredded. I really like them. I even used them on the PBP reasoning it would save time not having to stop for flats.

YMMV

 

[rowskein]

Wednesday, for the first time ever, I was able to ride my bicycle from my apartment to the office where I work....without a flat tire. I also rode it home, without a flat tire. I didn't want to jinx anything, so I waited until my ride in this morning (again - no flats!) to post...but sure enough - I made the trip with no problems!

Not sure if there's any history in this post but it made me think of the number of riders i see cycling in the gutter on the way to work. Presumably they're trying to keep out of the way of the cars. The gutter is prime puncture teritory and also a dangerous position to be cycling in.

Someone came up between me and the kerb last night while i was waiting at a red light. They were thinking of going through the red but stopped just after passing me due to the hissing noise coming from their back wheel! Despite them being a light jumper i did take pity on em, punctures are a pest.

 

[chainstay]

Wednesday, for the first time ever, I was able to ride my bicycle from my apartment to the office where I work....without a flat tire. I also rode it home, without a flat tire. I didn't want to jinx anything, so I waited until my ride in this morning (again - no flats!) to post...but sure enough - I made the trip with no problems!

So, in all seriousness, I can't feel any difference between my $850 dollar Fuji Roubaux (sp?) and my $399 dollar IBex Classic. If anything, the seat on the Ibex is more comfortable (but still a pain in the butt, literally), and the tires haven't gone flat yet. I'm very glad I ended up with the extra $450 in my savings account.

No real point to this post; I'm just really happy that I've been able to ride without any problems.

Hey Edudbor,

Glad to hear you finally got going on your commute!! As I recall, the forum guessed that your original flat tire problem may have been related to poor rim strip tape rather than tires, but nonetheless, you got going on a bike you are enjoying with some money to spare. How about the shifting on your triple? Were you able to get that adjusted?

If that saddle doesn't break in to be more comfortable after awhile, you can experiment around with some other saddles until you find one that is comfortable.

Continental GatorSkins and Specialized Armadillos are also flat resistant tires. I haven't noticed those Dutch model tires mentioned above being sold over here in the USA.

 

[Edudbor]

Hey Edudbor,

Glad to hear you finally got going on your commute!! As I recall, the forum guessed that your original flat tire problem may have been related to poor rim strip tape rather than tires, but nonetheless, you got going on a bike you are enjoying with some money to spare. How about the shifting on your triple? Were you able to get that adjusted?

If that saddle doesn't break in to be more comfortable after awhile, you can experiment around with some other saddles until you find one that is comfortable.

Continental GatorSkins and Specialized Armadillos are also flat resistant tires. I haven't noticed those Dutch model tires mentioned above being sold over here in the USA.

The shifting is *great*

I ended up enrolling in a bicycle maintence class. It was a little more expensive than I expected ($90) - but I learned a whole lot. We took everything off the bike, down to the bare frame, cleaned everything, and put it all back together. It was fun!

The guy also went over all the various anti-flat type technologies but told me it was probably just something out of alignment (like the rimstrip) and recommeneded I ride a few times before I decide I need them.

I'll probably give it a few weeks before I decide if I want a new seat or not. I'm trying not to spend too much more on the bicycle for a while; I'm keeping track of the gas I save, verse what I spend

But yeah - I'm really enjoying this whole cycling thing.

 

[chainstay]

The shifting is *great*

I ended up enrolling in a bicycle maintence class. It was a little more expensive than I expected ($90) - but I learned a whole lot. We took everything off the bike, down to the bare frame, cleaned everything, and put it all back together. It was fun!

Great! I bet that class is going to turn out to be a smart investment for you. I wish I had done something like that early on.

But yeah - I'm really enjoying this whole cycling thing.